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Dagenham teenager named UK Student of the Year

Jephta Asamoah from Barking & Dagenham College was named the Leidos & Career Ready UK Student of the Year at The Sandbox, Canary Wharf last week.

Jephta, aged 18, who is deaf, beat thousands of students across the UK to receive the award in recognition of his outstanding commitment and progress on the Career Ready programme.

During his time on the two-year Career Ready programme, Jephta received professional mentoring from Alan Morgan at Portland Communications, experienced a paid internship of four weeks at Portland Communications, and successfully completed a masterclass programme on the skills needed for career success.

Jephta said the following on winning his award on 25 April:

I am absolutely delighted to have been named as the Leidos UK Student of the Year. Before I started the programme, I was a frustrated and angry young man, fed up of being told that I couldn’t do things because of my disability. Now, I’m working with directors and CEOs and I’ve just accepted a place to study Politics and Lancaster University. I knew Career Ready was going to change my life – and it has!

Nicky Gibson, Director of Student Support at Barking & Dagenham College said:

Jeptha is a true inspiration to young people with disabilities; he is living proof that nothing in life should hold you back from achieving your dreams.

Also, very well done to the staff team: Michelle McCabe, Tim Carey and Dilon Beqa for the hard work that they have put into the development and success of this amazing young man. They have worked collaboratively as a team and fully supported each other throughout this journey. A fantastic testament to the great work that staff at the College do through their sheer passion for the job and to the amazing learners that we have the privilege to work with.

The Career Ready Awards celebrates students from across the UK who have shown outstanding commitment and progress on the Career Ready programme. Career Ready links young people to the world of work, providing them with the mentoring, skill development opportunities, and paid internships they need to kick start a successful future.

Career Ready currently supports over 29,000 young people in over 300 schools across the UK, with more than 700 employers and approximately 4,000 employer volunteers delivering the programme in schools and colleges across the UK. Career Ready has partnered with Barking & Dagenham College since 2015.